


Long Time No See

by LittleTwoLegs



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Brining the gang back together, Coulson in Infinity Wars, Coulson is a dork, FitzSimmons - Freeform, Gen, Kidnapping, Mentions of PTSD, Natasha is a ninja, Phil Coulson returns to MCU, Pre-Philinda, Pre-Relationship, SHIELD to MCU tie in, but Bruce and Thor are still in Space, cursing, mackelena
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 00:22:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13535697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleTwoLegs/pseuds/LittleTwoLegs
Summary: How to reintroduce SHIELD to the MCU.With knowledge of the future Phil knows what he has to do to save the world.





	Long Time No See

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I own nothing, just the idea and a strong love of Phil Coulson. I did my best to give this a thorough read through. I have no beta so all mistakes are mine. I write on my phone most frequently so I get a lot of typos/added/missing words, please do not hesitate to point them out where you find them!!

“Who the hell is Thanos?” Phil questioned, looking over at his team to see if any of them knew the man in question. Nobody seemed to think the name familiar and they looked down to the dying Kasius. He coughed, spitting blood onto Phil’s jacket that he clutched.

“H-he destroyed humans f-f-from within.” He said. He could feel he was dying. He was cold, his vision strained and his worries distant. He would join Sinara in just a few short moments, hopefully, and the thought soothed him. She had died needlessly, on his orders, and he had died defending those whom he once tried to kill. Life was funny. And beautiful, like this world they promised. But it was forbidden to warriors. Only a meeting of peaceful intentions could reside with endless blue skies and bright hot sunlight. Maybe, if this group of humans, these fighting few, went back and changed things… maybe he and Sinara could’ve had that.

“The stones!” he said desperately. By the gods it hurt to talk, to _breathe_. “Give her the stone!” he said, hoping they would take the words to heart. They needed to get all the stones to the Inhuman or this disaster was sure to happen. They needed to…

Phil watched the life leave their once enemy, a strange sense of loss overcoming him. The Kree was ruthless when they were all stuck on the Lighthouse and it was Kasius’ domain but once he was in the same predicament as they were, he was a rather valuable resource. He closed the alien’s eyes, and said a silent goodbye. They would use the last piece of the puzzle that he gave them to stop their world from ending, to give them a chance to resist his father and the army he was bringing. Maybe this Thanos guy wouldn’t make it this far.

Maybe, in the new timeline, in this new world that Phil swore he would make sure happened, they could get along, meet as ambassadors first and warriors second.

“Phil?” May questioned, voice soft. While Phil and Kasius weren’t beer buddies, they had bonded over the trials they faced since the destruction of the Lighthouse and the Zephyr back on a piece Earth. They were both leaders doing their best to keep their people alive; if Kasius tried to screw them over in the process, well, that was Darwinism. Phil had a grudging respect for it.

Phil stood, taking the white stone from the still Kree’s hands. He felt the heat of it, the power thrumming beneath the surface and cursed it at the same time as he thanked it.

“Get our team together.” He rasped, holding back emotion. “We’re going home, Melinda.”

-:X:-

Time travel wasn’t an exact science; Fitzsimmons may have been able to collect many pieces for their machine in multiple different lives but even in each of those lives they only understood a little bit of it. Fitz had hypothesized that an alternate Fitzsimmons had already calibrated when they would return and so had left the machine alone. It was not ideal but not exactly unexpected.

Fitz had been correct. He and his fiancé were a bit smug that their alternate selves and current selves were able to come together to make it happen.

They all snapped to attention in their diner stools, as if waking up from a daydream. The wound on May’s leg was gone, the scars from the trackers no longer marred their skin; the past was now the future. Phil could feel a headache coming on.

“Alright, everyone. We need to get our bird back in the air.” Phil said. He pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and placed it on the counter. “Ma’am,” he said, catching the waitress’ eye. “Nix the pie, we have to go. This should cover everything.” He smiled at her as she took the money, turning to her machine to ring it up with a quick thank you.

When Joanna-Lynn looked up her guests were gone. She held the $325 tip in her hand, flustered.

-:X:-

Back on the Zephyr the team eased themselves into their bunks, Fitz and Simmons curled into each other in Fitz’s small section, Mack and Elena in another. Skye watched the clouds pass from her bunk, thinking about the things they knew that hopefully would never come to pass. She had seen the look on Coulson’s face, the fear, regret and hesitancy. It was unnerving.

Even when they had been on the run from Hydra and the US military and he had admitted to honestly not knowing where they were going or what they were going to do there, he had carried a cool, calm confidence to him. He had faith they would know what to do when the time came and until then they just needed to stay together. That was gone now, replaced with a timid creature that was acting the part of bold and confident.

It didn’t much matter, Daisy thought. They were either going to save the world or she was going to destroy it. She would rather die, put the bullet in her head herself, but if she couldn’t, if she was controlled like she was by Hive then she wouldn’t have a choice. She sniffled and wiped her eyes, returning her gaze out to the clouds.

Melinda sat in the cockpit, hand on the stick in gentle guidance, the long forgotten silence and solitude more welcomed than she would have thought. It felt almost euphoric to be back in her plane, zipping through the clouds with her team safely aboard. The only thing that could sour it was Phil’s lack of explanation. He had them heading for New York at top speed, and even in doing so it would take them about a day; avoiding the US military was no easy feat and they also had a bigger plane than the BUS. Melinda frowned.

She missed her BUS.

She shook her head, clearing out her thoughts to focus on her best friend. He seemed so reluctant to speak when he gave the order but Melinda couldn’t understand why. He had been the city many times since his death so she knew it couldn’t be the thought of returning to the place he was killed. Hell he’d been in the actual operation room where he once begged to die. He recovered from that fairly well (it might have helped that he blew it to bits, even if unintentionally). It must be something else. Melinda sighed.

It could be Kasius’ last words. The Kree had loved playing mind games and riddles with Coulson, the two circling each other like tigers, looking for weaknesses. Coulson always had a bit of fondness for those who could challenge him mentally. It’s why he respected Fury so much, even after learning what the man had done to him. Though Kasius and Phil had a better relationship at the end she wouldn’t put it past the bastard to throw one last punch.

If so, if they met in this new future they were going to forge she would deck him first chance.

She glanced at the door, waiting for it to open, for Phil to walk through and tell her his plan. It remained shut.

-:X:-

The plane touched ground in a hidden field, naturally occurring in an oblong stretch that had many small hills. It wasn’t as flat as May would’ve liked for their bird but she was a capable pilot and landed it safely. Phil powered up Lola, not surprised when Melinda joined him. He gave Elena and Mack instructions to help Piper make any repairs and keep an eye out for detection. Daisy and Fitzsimmons looked eager to join and he pointed to the SUV. He knew they were worried but he only wanted Melinda with him. He was certain they would figure out without being told what he was doing. Well, not _everything._

Melinda sat in the passenger seat of Lola, looking over at the concentration on Phil’s face, the crease between his brow and the stubble on his jaw. He looked even more haggard than he had last night. She kept her peace, knowing he would either share when he wanted or not at all, but she worried nonetheless. A glance in the review mirror told her the team was keeping up just fine, so she leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the wind whip through her hair. God, it felt amazing. Even the stink of the city was wonderful.

She looked at Phil, pride flushing her cheeks a light pink. Phil looked over, a quirk of his brow questioning her sudden mood. She smiled at him, soft and gentle, and brought her hand up to brush his cheek. “You got us home, Phil.” She said. The words were lost in the wind but she knew he was able to read her lips.

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. He gave a short jerk of a nod and refocused on the road. Melinda let her hand fall to his neck, thumb brushing the hot skin. He unwillingly relaxed and she counted it as a victory. Had he not been driving she would’ve had him lay his head in her lap so she could run a hand through his short hair until he fell asleep. Maybe they could do that later, when they could all relax. Maybe. She returned her gaze to her surroundings, watching the city fly by.

When Stark Tower came into view she sat forward, a hand on the dash, as if to brace herself. Melinda turned wide eyes to her partner, her chest heaving a bit. Now everything made sense. She felt queasy as she realized Phil knew since before they jumped back in time what he had to do. He was finally doing it, finally telling his friends he was alive and had been for the past 4, almost 5 years.

“Phil.”

“I know.”

“You don’t have to.” She could play Director for him, he knew she would.

“I do, but thanks.” He let a hand fall to her thigh, squeezing lightly while waving for the team to drive up beside them. Simmons sat in the passenger side and leaned over to stare down at her mentors. Phil had reached his back pocket for his wallet and pulled out a few bills. He handed them over to the scientist. “Tell them you’ll be just a few hours.” He said as he gestured to the underground parking garage attached to Stark Tower.

Daisy leaned forward to see her boss, coming to realize what was going on. All three of the younger agents shared a look, eyes wide. There was excitement, because who wouldn’t be, but also a fair bit of worry. As Coulson drove away, likely to find a place to safely turn on Lola’s flying capabilities, Daisy pulled into the garage.

They all sat in silence, listening on the comm devices as Daisy put a block on Friday’s protocols. It was difficult but she kept at it, her fingers flying over the keyboard. The AI kept solving the complex coding almost as quickly as she could make it but to be honest, it was giving her a thrill. She hardly ever got to do what her original purpose was since she became Quake and it was sort of bittersweet to be causing trouble again.

-:X:-

Tony Stark was an ass, he willingly admitted to that. It was exhausting but he truly didn’t know any other way to live. The only bright part of his day was having Pepper pop in, run her hands through his hair and tell him he was doing good, that he was just doing what he thought was right. It didn’t mean she thought it was right, he knew, but she still stood behind him and accepted that he believed he was doing what needed to be done to prevent more death and destruction caused by something he felt he sort of started, with the suite and vigilantism. Granted he never thought he’d be fighting aliens and his own robot (that one stung!) but the point remained.

After Vision had taken his AI from him, a loss that still ached, he had installed Friday. She took to Jarvis’ protocols like a champ but she wasn’t as acclimated to her creator’s habits and such yet, though she seemed to have sarcasm down just fine. She filled in the roles Jarvis had left behind; security, daily menu checks, auto-deposit payroll, suit material stock, anything and everything Jarvis did without being told.

When he entered his living room, the large sofa calling to him for a nap, Tony froze. He had never been hyper-vigilant before he began being Ironman but he had quickly learned what the feeling at the back of his neck was. He turned to the shadowed corner. “Friday! Why didn’t you tell me we had a guest!" He said, trying to sound blasé about the whole thing.

In reality he was scared; this room was toward the top of the tower and they bypassed Friday’s (and by proxy Jarvis’) security. This person was dangerous.

And tiny.

A small Asian woman stood there, at parade rest, eyes sharp and mouth turned down. She had no weapons on her that Tony could see but he took no comfort from that. He activated his Ironman bracelet, ready to push for back up if he needed it.

“Mr. Stark, there is no need for that. I am here to ask for your help.” She said, clearly knowing what device was around his wrist.

He snorted a laugh. “Look, lady, I don’t know how you got in here, really I wanna know that, but you need to get the hell out before I call my security.” Something about this woman set him on edge, his instincts telling him to flee but he refused to retreat in his own home.

Her eyes narrowed and he saw her jaw tighten. "The world is in danger. We need help. Director’s orders.”

“The Director?” Tony questioned. This was ridiculous. He pulled out his phone, ready to call Happy but immediately had to drop it in order to block a kick from the woman. He quickly pushed her back, hoping to tip her balance but she swiftly recovered, using her hands to fluidly flip herself back into a fighting position. He clasped his wrist in his other hand, looking down in shock at bare skin. His assailant smirked as she tossed the bracelet behind her. He glared.

“I advise you not do that, Mr. Stark.” Her voice was firm and her gaze unflinching. Well two could play that game.

“Friday, do me a favor and get Mark 913.” He waited for Friday’s response, to hear the building locking down, but nothing. He looked around, then back at her. “What did you do?” his voice was low, the threat clear and present. The woman did not seem to care.

It made sense that she didn’t. There was a shuffle behind him, what sounded like a gun going off, and Tony Stark knew nothing.

-:X:-

Steve was aimlessly walking in T’Challa’s compound (though that’s not what they called it). It was growing old here. As generous as T’Challa had been, giving all of the powered individuals with high profiles who opposed the Accords sanctuary, it wasn’t home. He missed his city, the brush of shoulders as he walked down a city block, the uncaring anonymity of a crowd. He stuck out like a sore thumb here, and everyone knew who he was.

He was almost out of the compound when he was stopped by a currier. “Nomad!” she called. She quickly caught up to him with a DataDisk in hand. She passed it to him when they were face to face. “This was delivered three days ago,” she began. He understood that their mail was looked through, he understood why, but it still made him angry and feel violated. “My King asks to see you after you view it.” She said before she gave a small curtsey and left.

Steve sighed and ran a hand through his beard. He went back to his room to open his mail. While it had already been opened, he wanted as much privacy as he could scrape together. He closed the door to his quarters and opened the file on the disk.

Tony was in center frame, clearly annoyed. He wasn’t bound but he was not dressed in one of his usual expensive suits. His hair was messy and he looked stressed. It was still for a few seconds before Tony nodded and looked straight at the camera.

“Thank you for taking the time- What bureaucrat wrote this? Jesus.” Tony was looking beyond the camera, gesturing likely to a script held above it, and rolled his eyes. His captors did something off screen making Tony shake his head indignantly. “No, I’m not going to read that, it’s stupid. I’m just going to talk to him.” He looked directly at the camera. “Steve, I’ve been kidnaped. They’re adamant that they need to speak with you. They haven’t threatened to harm me but, I mean, they did abduct me. From my own penthouse, if you can believe it.” He said the last with a glare past the camera. “They want you to bring Clint and any other powered individual you have.” He rolled his eyes again, looking behind the camera.

“They say they won’t harm anyone, they just need to ta-“ His face screwed up with anger. “Why the hell- you guys are idiots. Are you fucking kidding me?” He likely continued arguing but the video cut out.

Fear, quickly followed by anger, welled up within Steve. Tony, regardless of how misguided, did not deserve to be kidnapped, no matter how nicely they were treating him. It was a trap, no doubt, but he refused to leave his friend to an unknown fate. He called for runners, paying each one an express fee, to go find his companions.

Its time they visit some old friends.

-:X:-

Steve didn’t know where they went wrong, what happened exactly, but he woke up in a white room in a soft bed. It was eerily reminiscent of when he was pulled out of the ice but at least this time no one was trying to fool him; he remained in his battle suit but for his boots. How considerate, he thought cynically. The last thing he remembered was ducking as Bucky went down after having been shot in the head. There was no blood so Steve prayed it was some sort of tranquilizer, likely the same one he had been hit with. A small part of him was curious what was in it to take down two super-soldiers, but the larger part of him was angry and concerned for his companion’s safety.

He rolled out of the low bed, cringing at the headache the sedatives gave him. Nothing in the room could be used as a weapon but it looked like there were cameras. He waved with a sarcastic grin. He approached the door with the little window, shocked that it was open. Hesitantly, he stepped through, wishing, not for the first time, for the familiar weight of his shield. There was a long hallway that he followed, moving towards the noise he could hear and the one room with a light.

Everyone was in there; Tony, Clint, Bucky, some inhumans that Steve met in hiding from the inhuman registration, and he could’ve sworn he had seen Natasha in the corner of his eye. There had to be at least 30 people in the room.

Tony sat next to Bucky, the two in a heated staring match. Clint was next to Bucky, looking ready to jump in if he was needed but Tony looked more tired than angry. They turned when he entered, relief on their faces. Tony sat up, ignoring Bucky’s following gaze.

“Steve! You had us worried! Thought you’d gone Capsicle on us again.” He said with a strained grin. Steve nodded at him.

“Tony.” He glanced at Bucky, his friend’s face scrunched up in thought before turning back to the billionaire in front of him. “You doing okay? I got the video…” he jerked his chin at their surroundings. “Where on Earth are we?”

Tony laughed, though anyone who knew him could tell it was hiding his fear. He had started learning how to handle his PTSD but being kidnapped, no matter how kindly he was being treated, was making him sick to his stomach. “They sent that? Seriously? I thought they were just going to send a picture and a ransom note.” He shook his head, genuinely amused, and honestly a little confused, about that. “As for where we are, I have no idea. Not a clue. They were very careful to keep me away from any electronics and I only interacted with two British people. So maybe across the pond.” Tony responded.

Steve rolled his lips in thought. They must’ve been out a lot longer than he realized if they got all the way across the damn ocean. Clint, from behind Tony, spoke up. “No, we’re not in the UK. I woke up while they were transporting us from the meet point and we just went underground.”

“You too, Clint?” Natasha said, walking over to Clint. She held his gaze, apologizing and re-familiarizing herself with her best friend. “I got the same sensation"

Stark cursed as he turned to face the red head, her hair long again but uncurled. “Jesus! You have got to stop doing that!” he grouched. The spy smirked and Clint laughed at the pout Tony played at.

A door opened and, as if they had never been separated, the present Avengers fell into defense stances, looking to make sure the others were covered. They eased up when they saw it was the young British woman in question.

She smiled. “Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I’m sure you’re curious as to why you’ve been gathered here-“ she began.

“We’re not just potatoes in the field, lady. We weren’t ‘gathered’ here, we were abducted.” Clint growled, cutting her her off. He was still rather sore about it.

Jemma grimaced. “Yes. It was the quickest route and we do not have a lot of time. Please, Agent, or rather, Mr. Barton, Ms. Romanoff, Mr. Stark, and Mr. Rogers, follow me to the conference room.” She said. Bucky stepped forward, murder on his face. The young woman pulled out a pistol. “Mr. Barnes, please sir, don’t.” Steve stepped forward and she paled.

“Miss,” Steve began. He could clearly see she was nervous and unwilling to hurt anyone but he couldn’t take the chance that those were real bullets. “He needs to stick with me. Please.” He asked, voice gentle and sincere. She locked eyes with him for a moment then pressed a hand to her ear, listening to someone’s direction. She smiled and returned the sidearm to its holster.

“Please then, Mr. Barnes, right this way.” She turned her attention to the others in the room. “Refreshments will be brought shortly as well as someone to explain what is going on. Thank you for your patience.” She said brightly. She gestured for the Avengers to leave the room, which they did, eyeing her suspiciously. They were met outside by another woman, this one with dark hair and brown skin. She looked at them, unimpressed as she eyed them up and down.

“Come,” she said, voice accented. “The Director wants to see you.” She turned and began leading them, not at all concerned about having her back exposed. Clint gritted his teeth, hating the feeling of dismissal but resolved to silently bide his time. He wanted to meet this director, ask him what the hell was going on. And besides, Natasha was perfectly calm, if a little upset about being caught unawares.

They entered what looked like an office, two people off to one side. The woman was facing them, her face blank and body at attention. The other was a man, writing on the chalkboard that covered the whole wall. Their guide cleared her throat. “Director,” she said before nodding at the woman and leaving.

Clint stepped forward, relief on his face, while Natasha glared at the woman. “May! Thank God, you’re alive!” he said. She gave the briefest of smiles but did not move to join him. She met Natasha’s glare and gave one of her own. May ignored Tony’s exclamation of indignation when he recognized her as the woman that had been in his penthouse. “May? C’mon, when Hydra came out I thought you died! There are no records of you, not a single one!” he turned to Natsha, both worried for an ally and chagrined at his next words. “Nat thought you could’ve been Hydra.”

“You would be mistaken.” The man finished writing and turned around. Everyone but Bucky gasped, Clint taking a stumbling step back.

Phil Coulson gave a hesitant smile. “No, Barton, Agent May most definitely is not Hydra.” There was no response and he inwardly cringed. He cleared his throat and let the familiar bland smile pull at his lips. “So, who’s ready to help us save the world from an alien threat that involves dangerous and shiny magic pebbles?”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! If anyone is interested I have written a bit from each present Avengers POV on the big reveal. I just didn't want to add them at the end because I thought it would detract from the ending.  
> Concrit is appreciated!


End file.
